Method of producing billiard cue

ABSTRACT

A METHOD FOR FORMING THE HANDLE OF A BILLIARD CUE BY CUTTING OUT THE DESIGN OF THE HANDLE IN THE BODY OF THE CUE, INCLUDING THE CONVENTIONAL PRONGS OR POINTS ABOVE THE GRIP OF THE HANDLE TO FORM TAPERED RECESSES IN THE CUE SO THAT THE DESIGN OF THE HANDLE IS FORMED IN INTAGLIO. A PAPER SLEEVE IS THEN TIGHTLY DRAWN ABOUT THE PORTION OF THE CUE CONTAINING THE INTAGLIO DESIGN AND PLASTIC IS POURED INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SLEEVE AND THE BODY OF THE CUE   TO FILL THE RECESSES AND THEREBY CREATE THE DESIRED HANDLE DESIGN IN PLASTIC WITH THE PLASTIC PRONGS EXTENDING FROM THE GRIP TOWARD THE TIP OF THE CUE.

Sept. 19, 1972 H. G. ECKES METHOD OF PRODUCING BILLARD CUE wz/enfoz My? gt {bl es Filed June 12. 1970 ////l Wig-y United States Patent I 3,692,609 METHOD OF PRODUCING BILLIARD CUE Hubert G. Eckes, Rte. 3, Box 101A, Marshfield, Wis. 54449 Filed June 12, 1970, Ser. No. 45,711 Int. Cl. B29c 27/00 US. Cl. 156-242 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for forming the handle of a billiard cue by cutting out the design of the handle in the body of the cue, including the conventional prongs or points above the grip of the handle to form tapered recesses in the cue so that the design of the handle is formed in intaglio. A paper sleeve is then tightly drawn about the portion of the cue containing the intaglio design and plastic is poured into the space between the sleeve and the body of the cue to fill the recesses and thereby create the desired handle design in plastic with the plastic prongs extending from the grip toward the tip of the cue. I

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Better quality billiard cues are provided with a handle that is formed of a different color than the body of the cue. The grip portion of the handle is usually of a solid color but the handle ends above the grip portion in a series of elongated prongs about the periphery of the cue, and the body portion of the cue likewise ends in a series of complementary elongated prongs about its periphery which mesh with the prongs of the handle to form a smooth tapered conical surface.

It has been the practice to manufacture such quality cues in two parts, producing the handle and the body of the cue separately with the body of the one usually being of one color and the handle of another color to produce the desired effect. The prongs are then actually sawed out of the top end of the handle of the cue and complementary prongs are cutout of the lower end of the body of the cue. The two sets of prongs are then meshed together with the prongs of the handle meshing into the elongated triangular spaces between the prongs of the body of the cue. Conversely, the prongs of the body of the cue extend downwardly into the spaces between the prongs of the handle of the cue. These two portions of the cue are thus assembled and glued together to form a unitary structure.

The above described construction produces a good quality cue, but 'is time consuming to manufacture and as a result is expensive. It is the object of the present invention to produce a billiard cue of superior quality by means of a more efficient and less expensive method of manufacture while retaining the decorative and distinctive prongs that are characteristic of a quality billiard cue.

SUMMARY The present invention provides for the manufacture of a quality billiard cue in one piece rather than of the conventional two pieces in the manner described above while providing the different color prongs at the handle portion which are distinctive of quality billiard cues. The grip and prongs are produced by forming the body of the billiard cue of one piece of wood forming recesses in the wood body and then molding a plastic layer into the recesses in the handle portion of the one including the prongs.

The wood body of the cue is turned from one piece of wood and the handle portion is recessed to receive a layer of plastic to formthe grip of the handle and the elongated prongs which extend from the grip toward the tip of the 3,692,609 Patented Sept. 19, 1972 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing and other objects of this invention which will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof may be achieved by the method herein described by way of example in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a billiard cue manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the turned handle portion of the body of the billiard cue shown in FIG. 1, before the plastic layer has been applied, with a rotary cutting tool in position to begin cutting one of the tapered recesses for forming a plastic prong above the s p;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to the view in FIG. 2, except that the cutting tool is shown in position after it has completed cutting the tapered recess for one of the plastic prongs;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in front elevation illustrating the turned handle portion of the body of the billiard cue with the recesses formed below the grip for the prongs but before the plastic has been applied;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in front elevation similar to FIG. 4 but showing the paper sleeve about the handle portion of the cue and the plastic poured into the pocket formed between the paper sleeve and the periphery of the cue;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through the body of the cue taken along the plane represented by the line 6-6 in FIG. 4 to illustrate a cross section of the body of the cue before the plastic has been applied;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the cue taken along the plane represented by the line 7-7 in FIG. 5 showing the plastic applied; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through the cue taken along the plane represented by the line 8-8 in FIG. 5 also showing the plastic applied.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings and specifically to FIG. 1 thereof which illustrates a billiard cue produced in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. As there shown, the improved billiard cue is provided with a handle generally identified by the reference numeral 10 and which comprises a grip portion 11 as well as plurality of prongs or points 15 which extend outwardly of the grip 11 towards a tip 14 formed on the forward end of the cue for striking the billiard balls in the conventional manner.

The present invention provides an improved method for forming the handle 10 including both the grip 11 and the plurality of prongs 15. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention a body 16 of the billiard cue is turned from wood in a single piece with recesses being formed at the rear end of the body 16 for receiving a layer of plastic which forms the external surface of the grip 11 and prongs 15.

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the wood body 16 of the billiard cue is tapered in the conventional manner to a gradually increasing diameter toward the bottom end of the cue until the point is reached where the prongs 15 terminate. At this point, the diameter of the cue is reduced substantially to establish the grip portion 11 and is formed of a uniform diameter to the rear end of the cue to form a cylindrical portion 17 which receives a layer of plastic in a manner to be subsequently described for forming the grip lL'The plastic that is used for forming the grip 11 and prongs 15 is of substantially greater specific weight than the wood forming the body 16, including its cylindrical portion 17, so that the diameter of the cylindrical portion 17 will vary in inverse proportion to the total weight of the cue desiredLThus, if a light weight cue is desired, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 17 will be at a maximum so that a lesser amount of plastic will be applied for forming the grip 11. On the other hand, if a heavy cue is desired, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 17 will be reduced proportionately for receiving a greater amount. of plastic coating and thereby increasing the overall weight of the cue.

In order to provide a form for producing, the plastic prongs 15, recesses 20 are formed in the body 16 of the cue directly above the cylindrical portion 17 and extending along the length of the cue as best illustrated in FIG. 4. A special conical cutting tool 21 is provided for cutting the recesses 20 in the body 16. To form the recesses 20, the cue body 16 is centered between two centers (not shown) which are in axial alignment. Accordingly, the axis of the body 16 will be in alignment with the axis of the two centers and the tapered surface of the body 16 will extend at an angle relative to the axis of the two centers supporting the body 16. The cutter 21 is then mounted on a suitable support (not shown) and is rotated by a suitable source of power (not shown) for forming the recesses 20.

The cutter is mounted to move along a path which is parallel to the axis of the body 16 so that its point 22 will move along a path which is parallel to the axis of the body 16 but is angularly disposed with respect to the tapered surface of the body 16. The point 22 is first positioned at the reduced diameter portion of the body 16 as shown in FIG. 2 where it does not engage the surface of the body 16. The cutter 21 is then fed toward the left as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 and as it proceeds along the surface of the body 16 it will first engage the surface as shown in FIG. 2 to form a fine point. As the cutter 21 proceeds along the surface of the body 16 toward the left as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, the point 22 will cut progressively deeper into the body 16 as the diameter of the body 16 increased toward the bottom end of the cue, until it reaches a maximum diameter at the beginning of the cylindrical portion 17 as shown in FIG. 3, This results in the forming of the tapered recess 20 which begins as a point at its upper end at the reduced diameter portion of the body 16, and gradually increases to a maximum width and depth at the end of the tapered portion and the beginning of the cylindrical portion 17 as illustrated in FIG. 3. A plurality of these recesses are formed about the periphery of the cue above the cylindrical portion 17 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.

Such shaping of the wood body 16 provides suitable recesses for the reception of the plastic which is to form the surface of the handle of the cue. The cylindrical portion 17 serves as a base for receiving the plastic forming the surface of the grip 11 of the one and the tapered elongated recesses 20 above the cylindrical portions 17 will receive the plastic for forming the prongs of the cue. It should be noted that above the cylindrical portion 17, only the recesses will be filled with the plastic and the intervening oppositely disposed wood prongs will retain their natural wood finish. Accordingly, the re cesses 20 will be filled with plastic to form the prongs 15 which point toward the tip 14 of the cue while the intervening prongs pointing in the opposite direction will be of a different color, generally corresponding to the natural finish of the wood, to provide the desired aesthetic effect presently available only in expensive cues.. 7 V

In order to establish thedesired cavities for receiving the plastic which is to form the surface of the handle 10, a tapered paper sleeve 25 is drawn over the cue by passing it over the tip 14 and drawing it upwardly in the di rection of the arrow illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 4. The paper sleeve 25 is tapered to conform to the desired taper of the handle portion 10 of the cue. Its largest diameter extends slightly beyond the end of the cylindrical portion 17 as illustrated in FIG. 5. Its smallest diameter fits snugly about the surface of the body 16 directly beneath the ends of the tapered recesses 20. The smallest diameter of the paper sleeve 25 is sealed to the surface of the body 16 of the cue by an adhesive tape 26 which encircles the body 16 and overlaps the smallest diameter end of the paper sleeve'25 to also encircle it so as to seal this end of the paper sleeve.

The paper sleeve 25 tapers outwardly and upwardly from its reduced diameter end but the taper of the paper sleeve conforms to the taper of the wood surface between the tapered recesses20 so that the paper sleeve fits snugly against the wooden downwardly extending points between the tapered recesses 20. As. a result, cavities'are formed only with the tapered recesses 20. Since the paper fits snugly against the wood surfaces between the tapered recesses 20 the plastic to be placed into the sleeve 25 will enter the tapered recesses 20 only and the wood surfaces between these tapered recesses 20' will remain free of plasticaHowever, the cylindrical portion 17 is of substantial reduced diameter as clearly shown in FIG. 4 so that an annular space 27 exists between the paper sleeve 25 and the cylindrical portion 17.

After the paper sleeve 25 has been thus positioned about the body 16 as clearly shown in FIG. 5, a plastic in liquid form is forced into the paper sleeve 25 to fill the tapered recesses 20 as well as the annular space 27 and covers the end 28 of the cylindrical portion 17. A cap 30 is then inserted into the large diameter end of the paper sleeve 20 to seal off the plastic while it is setting.

The inclusion of the plastic in the recesses 20 is clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 6 is a sectional view through the body 16 as shown in FIG. 4 and shows the recesses 20 formed in the body 16. FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views through the cue after the sleeve 25 has been applied and the recesses 20 have been filled with plastic as shown in FIG. 5. The plastic in these recesses 20 has been identified by the reference numeral 15 in the drawings as these plastic inserts now form the prongs or points 15 whichare clearly shown in FIG. 1.

It will be noted in FIGS. 6 and 7 that the paper sleeve 25 fits snugly about the periphery of the cue between the recesses 20 so that the plastic 'will readily fill the cavities formed by the paper sleeve 25 and the recesses 20 but the plastic will not coat the wood'peripheral surfaces of the cue between the recesses 20.

After the plastic has set, the paper sleeve25 as well as the adhesive tape 26 and the plug 30 are removed from the cue. If any finishing is necessary it is then accomplished on the set plastic in the recesses 20 and the annular space 27. However, the utilization of such paper sleeve for receiving the plastic provides an excellent surface and the prongs 15 are accurately formed so that very little, if any, further finishing, is necessary.

A variety of plastics can be employed for forming th grip 11 and the prongs 15 of the cue.'For example, polyester resins are found to be excellent for this purpose and more particularly a styrenernonomer such as that known commercially as Stypol 40-2417. Such-plastic is furnished in liquid form and upon the addition-of a catalyst the plastic will set in from one to three hours, depending upon theamount and type of catalyst added; Thusffo'r the styrene monomer mentioned above'a one percent benzoyl peroxide may be added, adding one part of the peroxide to 100 parts of the Stypol 40-2417 plastic. Other plastics, of course, are equally well suited for this purpose.

From the foregoing detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention set forth herein it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved billiard cue with an improved method of forming the grip of the cue and prongs of the cue above the grip so that these prongs can be formed much more efficiently while providing an improved billiard cue.

Although the illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail for the purpose of disclosing a practical operative structure and method of forming the structure whereby the invention may be practised advantageously, it is to be understood that the particular article and method described is intended to be illustrative only and that the various novel characteristics of the invention may be incorporated in other structural forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

The principles of this invention having now been fully explained in connection with the foregoing description, I hereby claim as my invention:

1. The method of forming a billiard cue which comprises; forming a tapered body; providing a reduced diameter end extending axially from the large diameter of said tapered body; filling the reduced diameter portion with liquid plastic so that the entire cue is uniformly tapered; and causing the liquid plastic to solidify so that the plastic coated portion forms the handle of the cue.

2. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 1 including; placement of a tapered sleeve over said body to form an annular cavity with said reduced diameter portion, the taper of said sleeve conforming to the taper of the cue; filling the space between said tapered sleeve and said reduced diameter portion of said body with said liquid plastic and removing said sleeve after said plastic has set to form the handle of the cue.

3. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 1 including; forming elongated tapered recesses about the periphery of the cue and extending upwardly from said reduced diameter portion toward the tip of the cue; filling said recesses with liquid plastic; and causing the liquid plastic to solidify to form the prongs of the cue directly above the handle.

4. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 3 including; placement of a tapered sleeve over said body to form an annular cavity with said reduced diameter portion and forming elongated cavities with said tapered recesses, the taper of said sleeve conforming to the taper of the cue; filling said annular cavity and said elongated cavities with said liquid plastic to form the grip of the cue and the prongs extending upwardly from grip of the cue, and removing said sleeve after said plastic has set to form the handle of the cue.

5. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 2 including; applying a tape over the small diameter end of said sleeve and overlapping the body of the cue to seal said sleeve to the body of the cue; and plugging the large end of said sleeve after the liquid plastic has been poured into the sleeve to retain the plastic until it has set.

6. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 2 wherein said sleeve is formed of paper.

- 7. A method of forming a billiard cue according to claim 4 wherein said sleeve is formed of paper.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 784,090 3/1905 Whitehouse et a1. 273--68 1,262,262 4/1918 Ruiz 273-68 2,658,015 11/1953 Williams 156-242 X 3,481,812 12/1969 Holub et a1 156306 RICHARD D. LOVERING, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

